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date: 25 February 2021

Abstract and Keywords

Facial recognition is generally regarded as being unique and distinct from object recognition; however, it may be possible to increase our understanding of it by framing it within the context of object recognition. Facial recognition can be viewed as a form of expert object recognition. Just as individuation can lead to holistic processing and specialization of the mechanisms for face recognition, the same behavioral and neural hallmarks of expertise are seen when individuation training is applied to novel objects. This chapter discusses how faces need to be compared to more than one object category at a time and how learning studies in non-face domains have advanced our understanding of the processes involved in face recognition. The chapter closes with a discussion of some challenges for ongoing research in this area, which have to do with brain behavior relationships, understanding the links between learning and development, and the need for computational models of expertise.

Keywords: perceptual expertise, object recognition, holistic processing, fusiform face area, prosopagnosia, autism

Rankin W. McGugin

Rankin W. McGugin, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Isabel Gauthier

Isabel Gauthier, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

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